Machine for automatically attaching hinges to doors and jambs

ABSTRACT

A machine for automatically installing hinges on a door and door jamb comprises a hopper for containing a stack of door hinges each having spaced screw holes, and a bin containing a multiplicity of screws with a screw dispenser which deposits screws into a hinge at a hinge receiving position. A rotatable lifter receives the hinge loaded with screws and applies it to a screwdriver assembly which moves to a hinge mounting position where the hinge is attached to a door and jamb.

United States Patent 1 Goldstein 1 Nov 2%, 1973 MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY ATTACHING HINGES TO DOORS AND JAMBS Inventor: Milton Goldstein, 465 Shore Rd.,

Long Beach, NY. 11561 Filed: June 26, 1972 Appl. No.: 266,224

U.S. Cl. 29/211 D, 144/3, 144/32 Int. Cl. B23q 7/10, B27c 9/00, 1325b 23/00 Field of Search 29/211 D, 211 R;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,832,381 4/1958 Sherwood 144/32 3/1966 Goldstein 144/69 X 5/1968 Locher 144/3 Primary Examiner-Thomas l-l. Eager Attorney-Edward l-l. Loveman [5 7] ABSTRACT A machine for automatically installing hinges on a door and door jamb comprises a hopper for containing a stack of door hinges each having spaced screw holes, and a bin containing a multiplicity of screws with a screw dispenser which deposits screws into a hinge at a hinge receiving position. A rotatable lifter receives the hinge loaded with screws and applies it to a screwdriver assembly which moves to a hinge mounting position where the hinge is attached to a door and jamb.

11 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures PATENTEDRBY 20 I973 SHEET 3 BF 5 mm 91% mw mv Q SHEET 4 BF 5 AIR SUPPLY Z:

PAIENTEDHHY 20 1975 SUPPLY TO- POWER SUPPLY 75 TO AIR SUPPLY T Pg-P I LATCIjRELAY F 5 i I 252 @313 TO POWER SUPPLY SHEET 5 BF PATENTED NOV 2 0 i975 MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY ATTACHING HINGES TO DOORS AND JAMES This invention concerns automatically operating apparatus by means of which hinges are attached to a door and jamb presented to the apparatus.

In my prior US. Pat. No. 3,238,980, I described a door and jamp finishing apparatus wherein recesses are automatically formed in a door and jamb for receiving hinges. The hinges were applied and screwed in place manually which required considerable costly manual labor, since the screws were inserted and secured in place, one at a time, which is slow and time consuming.

According to the invention, the machine is provided with a hopper containing screws. The screws are fed one at a time through an escapement means to a screw dispenser. One hinge is automatically drawn from a stack of hinges contained in a magazine or bin, and presented to the screw dispenser which drops a screw into each of the screwholes in the hinge. The hinge loaded with screws is then presented to a screwdriver assembly and a door and jamb are presented thereto. Then the hinge is fitted into precut recesses in the door and the screws are automatically screwed into place. If desired two machines may be installed in parallel to mount two hinges simultaneously in a door and jamb, or the door and jamb may be moved longitudinally to locate another pair of recesses at the screwdriver as sembly for installing another hinge.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a method and machine for installing hinges rapidly and automatically in precut recesses in doors and jambs, and to do so continuously and repetitively as fast as doors and jambs can be presented to the machine.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an automatically operated machine for installing hinges on a door and jamb.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic hinge mounting machine with means for automatically loading screws in a door hinge.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic hinge mounting machine with escapement means for feeding screws one at a time to a hinge; for drawing hinges one at a time from a bin or magazine and presenting them to a screw loading position; for applying the hinge loaded with screws to a screwdriving assembly and for screwing the screws into precut recesses in a door and jamb presented to the screwdriving assembly.

These and other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view partially in section of an automatic hinge installation machine embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front end elevational view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, parts being broken away and other parts being shown in section;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of parts of a screw conveying assembly employed in the machine;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of parts of an escapement mechanism employed in the machine for feeding screws one at a time to a door hinge;

FIG. 4A and 4B are sectional views of parts of the escapement mechanism in two operating positions;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a rotatable screw feeding unit employed in the machine for loading a hinge with screws;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a side view of a hinge conveyor bar employed in the machine;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the hinge conveyor bar of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of hinge placement means arranged to apply a hinge loaded with screws to a screwdriving assembly;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the screwdriving assembly employed in the machine;

FIG. 11 is an end view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an electrical circuit employed for operating the several components of the machine automatically and in sequence;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing part of a door and jamb with butt plates secured and screws in respective hinge recesses in a door and jamb; and

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along line 14-14 of FIG. 13.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout, there is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a machine generally designated as reference numeral 25 embodying the invention. The machine comprises a support including lateral vertical walls 28, 29 jointed by beams 30, 32 forming a generally rectangular frame structure which serves as a support for the machine. The frame has a rectangular superstructure including a pair of spaced slide walls 34, 35 and a pair of spaced end walls 36, 37. A transverse vertical partition 33 extends between the end walls 36, 37 and defines with walls 34, 36 and 37, a vertical bin or magazine 39 which may be filled with a stack of hinges 40. As best shown in FIGS. 6, 9, 13 and 14 each hinge 40 has a pair of butt plates 42, each provided with three screw holes 43. The butt plates are integral with an interfitting cylindrical eye 44 through which extends a conventional hinge pin 45. The hinges 40 are supported on removable spacer bars 46 (FIG. 6), each provided with an upper groove 48 in which the cylindrical eyes M of the hinge are seated. If desired, the hinges may be stacked in a cartridge installed as a unit in magazine 39.

The bottom wall 50 of the magazine 39 supports the stack of hinges and has a slot in the wall 28 (not shown) through which the lower most spacer bar 46 is ejected by a bar 54 the operation of which will be hereinafter more fully explained. The partition 33 has a slot 53 at its lower end to permit one hinge 40 at a time to be drawn out of the magazine 39 from the bottom of the stack and slide along the bottom wall 50 by the horizontal movable rectangular Y-shaped bar 54 as will not be described.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 6, 7 and 8 there is shown the bar 54 which carries a pair of rigid pawls 56 at the front ends of a pair of parallel arms 53. The pawls are weighted to extend upwardly to engage an end of each butt plate of the lower most hinge 40 and to push the hinge 40 laterally to the left as viewed in FIG. 2 to a screw loading position under a plate 156. When the bar 54 is moved to the right as viewed in FIG. 2, the pawls 56 eject the lower most spacer bar 46 through the wall 28. The bar 54 is attached by a plurality of bolts 60 to a vertical plate 62 secured to the outer end of a horizontal piston rod 64 seated in a stationary horizontal pneumatic cylinder 66 which is mounted in chamber 68 and driven via air conducted through conduits 70.

The stem 71 of the bar 54 carries a pair of pawls 72 biased upwardly by springs 74 to engage a hinge loaded with screws under the plate 156 and arranged to push the hinge to a rotatable lifter plate 75 which will be described further below.

The components for inserting screws in the screw holes 43 of the hinges 40 will now be described. A plurality of screws 80 are contained in a hopper 82 which has an open top (FIG. 2) and is defined by the end walls 36, 37, the partition 33 and a partition 83 and a slanted bottom wall 88 which has a central slot through which extends a vertically movable rectangular piston plate 90. The plate 90 as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 has a slanted upper end 92 beveled at edges 92' and formed with a longitudinal groove 93 with beveled edges 94. The groove 93 is just wide enough to receive the shanks 80' of the screws 80 which lodge in the groove 93 as the plate 90 is pushed upwardly through the mass of screws in the hopper 82. A plurality of screwheads 80" rest on the edges 94 as the plate 90 is pushed upwardly by a vertically movable piston shaft 91 of a stationary air cylinder 95 actuated via compressed air flowing through conduits 96. The cylinder 95 is mounted on a horizontal support plate 98 in the frame structure.

The screws 80 engaged in the upper groove 93 of the plate 90 tend to slide downwardly toward the partition 83 which has a T-shaped notch 99 at its upper end (FIG. 3). The screws 80 carried by the plate 90 will slide through notch 99 and down through a chute 97 at the top of a vertical tube 100 located adjacent to the partition 83. The chute opens into a vertical passage which has a diameter equal to that of the screwheads 80" so the screws are disposed in vertical axial alignment in the tube 100. A bar 102 urged down by a spring 103 in a casing 104 located at the top of the hopper 82 is aligned with the plate 90 to contact the screws at the upper end of the plate 90 and prevent an excessive number of screws from sliding down into the tube 100 each time the plate 90 comes up loaded with the screws 80. When the tube 100 is filled, no more screws enter until some are withdrawn. A microswitch 105 as well as other switches described further below in connection with circuit C of FIG. 12 are strategically located and connected in the control circuit to accomplish automatic operation of the machine.

In order to insure that only one screw 80 at a time is fed to a hinge 40 disposed in a screw loading position, there is provided an escapement mechanism 110. This mechanism shown best in FIGS. 2, 4, 4A and 4B ineludes an upper and a lower horizontally slidable plate 112, and 114. The upper plate 112 has a longitudinal slot 113 equal in width to a screw shank 80 and terminating at one end in a circular enlargment 116 slightly larger in diameter than a screw head 80". The lower plate 114 has a longitudinal slot 117 terminating in a circular enlargement 118 aligned with a passage 101 in a lower vertical tube 100 which is axially aligned with the tube 100.

The escapement mechanism also includes a pair of T-blocks 115 secured to and between the plates 112,

114, spacing them slightly apart. Each block has a pin shaft 120 carrying a roller 122. These rollers engage in slanted slots 124 of a vertically movable drive plate 126. The upper end of the plate 126 is secured to the bottom of plate 90 and to the piston shaft 91 so that this plate moves up and down when actuated by the air cylinder 95. When the plate 126 moves up and down the plates 112 and 114 move horizontally from end to end between the tubes 100 and 100. The manner in which only one screw at a time is released gravitationally into the lower tube 100' will now be explained with particular reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B.

In FIGS. 4A the plates 112 and 114 have reached one end of movement in a right end position and are starting to move left. Here enlargement 116 of the slot 113 is directly under the tube 100. One screw 80A falls through the enlargement 116 down to the slot 117 and remains there with the tip of its shank projecting into the passage 101' of the tube 100 while the plates move left. A screw 80 B rests on the screw 80A and is disposed in the slot enlargement 1 16 of the plate 112. The screwhead 80" of the screw 80B is engaged in the bottom end of the tube 100. Now the plate 126 moves upwardly thereby driving the plates 1 12, 114 to the left to the position shown in FIG. 48. Here the slot enlargement 118 aligns with the tube passage 101 permitting the screw 80A to fall into the tube 100'. The screw 80B remains in place with the top of its head engaged at the bottom of the tube 100. When the plate 126 moves downwardly the plates 112, 114 will move to the right to the position of FIG. 4A whereupon the screw 808 will fall into the position of lower screw 80A illustrated in FIG. 4A and another screw takes the position of screw 808. By this arrangement, a screw is deposited on the plate 112 at the slot 113; then the plates 112, 114 move to the right allowing this screw to fall to the slot 1 17 of the lower plate 114 at the end of travel; then this screw is discharged into the tube 100 when the plates move to the left and reach the position of FIG. 4B.

The screws thus discharged into the stationary tube 100' one at a time pass down a stationary bent section 100" to a hub 148 at the center of a top 149 of a rotatable cylindrical drum 150 (FIG. 5). Connected to the hub 148 is a tube 154 extending radially and downwardly in the drum 150 and rotating therewith. This tube moves circularly over a stationary screw guide plate 156 in which is journaled a lower hub 157 of the drum 150. In a guide plate 156 are six bores 158 circumferentially spaced apart and angled so as to open over the screwholes in the hinge 40 disposed beneath the plate 156. The hinge 40 to be loaded with the screws 80 is disposed in this screwloading position by action of the bar 54 moving to the left as viewed in FIG. 2. The pawls 56 engage the hinge 40 to be loaded, and push it out from the bottom of the stack of hinges in the magazine 39.

In order to effect rotation of the drum 150 in steps of 60 (assuming that six screws are to be inserted into each hinge) there is provided a vertically reciprocating rod 160 connected to the plate 90 (see FIG. 2). The rod 160 carries a block 162 at the end of a stiff spring 164. A pin 166 (FIG. 5) extends radially inward of a zig-zag slot 167 formed in the wall of the drum 150. The slots 167 have slanted apexes 168 which permit the drum to only turn in one direction when the pin 166 is moved vertically. The slot 167 is so shaped that each time the rod 160 moves up the drum 150 turns 30 and each time the rod 160 moves down the drum 150 turns 30. During each up and down movement of the rod 150 the pin 166 acts as a cam and moves up and down. The drum 150 acts as a cam follower and rotates, stopping at six positions aligning the bottom of the tube 154 with the upper ends of the six bores 158 respectively in the guide plate 156. Each time the drum 160 stops a single screw 80 passes through a bore 158. By this arrangement the hinge 40 is loaded with six screws.

Each time the air cylinder 66 drives the bar 54 to the left another hinge 40 is located in the screw loading position under the guide plate 156. At the same time the provious hinge 40 loaded with screws is moved onto the horizontally disposed lifter plate 75, shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 9, which is turned to a vertical position as shown in FIGS. 2, 9 to juxtapose the plate 75 to the front end of a screwdriver assembly 170 shown in FIGS. 1,10 and 11. The plate 75 is turned by a rack gear 171 engaged with a spur gear 173 at the end of a shaft 175 secured in a tube 176 which is integral with one edge of the plate 75. The rack gear 171 is connected to an air cylinder 178 via a spring coupling 179, and is driven horizontally by the air cylinder 178. Then the rack gear 171 is extended to the right, as shown in FIG. 1, the plate 75 carrying a hinge 40 loaded with the screws 80, turns counterclockwise, to juxtapose the hinge to the front end of the screwdriving assembly 170 shown in FIGS. 1 and 1 l. The hinge 40 is retained magnetically and the plate 75 then turns clockwise downward to horizontal position again as the cylinder 178 retracts the rack gear 171.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11, the screwdriving assembly 170 includes a non-rotatable, dish-like cylindrical support 185 carrying a plurality of rotatable, geared, magnetized screwdriver heads or chucks 188. The support 185 is secured to an air driven motor 137 by a plurality of screws 189 and a corresponding number of spacers 189. The heads 188 carry Philips type screwdriver blades 190 and are circumferentially spaced in position to correspond to the positions of the Philips type screws, 80, and screwholes in the hinge 40 presented to the assembly 170. The heads 188 may be electromagnets or may be permanent magnets. In any case they engage the hinge 40 and hold it in vertical, flat open postion awaiting presentation of a door 192 and jamb 194 (FIGS. 13, 14) in proper position for applying the hinge to recesses 193, 195 performed in the door and jamb respectively.

The heads 188 are rotated in the same direction by a central drive gear 196 on a shaft 187 of the motor 187. A gear 196 is operatively coupled to the geared chucks 188 via a first pair of reversing gears 197, and further pairs of reversing gears 198 see FIG. 11. The gear 196 is driven by the motor 187 which can be air driven via a conduit 199. The motor 187 is coupled via a spring coupling 200 and a bar 202 to the casing of a horizontal air cylinder 204 carrying flexible conduits 205; see FIG. 1. The cylinder 204 moves axially on a stationary shaft 206 secured to beams 30, 32 and carrying a fixed piston 208. The assembly 170 is moved by the movable cylinder 204 to a position shown by dotted lines in FIG. 1 where support 185 is clear of the machine frame and where door 192 and jamb 194 can be located for mounting the screw-loaded hinge 40. The door 192 and the jamb 194 may be mounted on a suitable conveyor apparatus (not shown) for presentation to the hinge applying machine. The door and jamb will be placed in two or more positions so that each pair of recesses 193, 195 (FIG. 13) will be disposed in turn at the hinge mounting position of the assembly 170. Installation of the hinges takes place automatically. Electric eye assembly 210 (FIG. 1) at the hinge installation position detects the presence of the door 192 and the jamb 194.

FIG. 12 shows diagrammatically a control circuit C which may be provided for operating the several air cylinders and the air motor 187 in proper sequence. In circuit C a power supply 220 provides electric power to operate a plurality of switches 221 225 of respective solenoid controlled air valves 226-230 which control the air cylinders 66, 95, 178, 204 and air motor 187 respectively. An air supply 231 is connected to the several valves and cylinders. A starting switch 232 is connected in circuit with a timer switch 234 and a reversing switch 236 to a solenoid switch 222. A pair of microswitches 105 and 105 act as limit switches and are disposed for actuation by the plate 90. The microswitches 105 and 105' are connected to the switch 236 to reverse the drive of the plate by the air cylinder at each end of stroke of the plate 90.

In operation of the air cylinder 95, the switch 232 is closed and the air cylinder 95 drives the plate 90 up and down six times. This effects loading screws into the tube 100, operates the escapement mechanism 1 10 six times to release six screws one at a time into tube and turns, the drum once in six 60 steps to load a hinge 40 with six screws.

A photoelectric cell 240 forming part of electric eye 210 (FIG. 1 and 2) is illuminated by a lamp 242 and is actuated when a door and jamb are placed in proper position for installing a hinge by the machine. The photoelectric cell 240 is connected to a relay 244 which is in circuit with the timer switch 246 and the switch 220 which controls the air cylinder 170. The air cylinder 178 as explained above lifts the plate 75 carrying a hinge 40 loaded with screws up to the magnetic chucks 108. The chucks 188 contain electromagnets 250 (shown in FIG. 12) which are connected to a latching relay 251 to hold the chucks energized when a microswitch 252 is actuated by the lifted plate 75. The electromagnets 250 retain the hinge 40 which must be made of a magnetic material. The plate 75 is returned to a horizontal position by the spring 179 (FIG. 9) or by reversing of the valve 220. When the plate 75 is in the horizontal position a microswitch 254 connected to the switch 221 via a relay 256 operates the valve 226 and the air cylinder 66 operates to place another hinge 40 loaded with screws on the plate 75, while another hinge is drawn from the magazine 39 by the bar 54.

Switch 224 is connected to a relay 251 and effects operation of the air cylinder 204 to advance the air motor 107 to the screw driving position. The air motor 107 is controlled by the valve 230 actuated by the switch 225 and a relay 260 when a microswitch 262 is operated by advancement of the motor 187 to the screw driving position. The motor 107 turns the heads 108 and the screws 00 in the hinge 40 presented to the door and jamb are automatically screwed into place. The door and jamb are then moved to another hinge loading position by the conveyor apparatus (not shown).

The machine described operates automatically. One hinge at a time is installed in recesses 193, of a door and jamb. One hinge at a time is loaded with screws. One hinge at a time is withdrawn from the magazine 39.

Obviously many variations of the preferred embodiment of the invention which has been described, are possible. For example, the control circuit C may be modified by incorporating two or more relays in a single ganged relay. The hinges in stack 39 may be contained in a hinge dispenser cartridge such as one of the type described in my invention/disclosure Ser. No. 001,722 filed in the United States Patent Office on Mar. 27, 1970.

It should be understood that the foregoing relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:

l. A machine for automatically installing hinges on a door and a door jamb comprising,

a hopper for containing a stack of door hinges, each of said door hinges having a pair of hinged butt plates and having a plurality of spaced screw holes,

means for withdrawing one hinge at a time from the bottom of said stack,

a bin containing a quantity of screws, and

a screw dispenser means arranged to receive a number of said screws from said bin corresponding to the number of said spaced screw holes in said hinge and insert one of said screws into each one of said spaced holes in one of said hinges withdrawn from said stack while said withdrawn hinge is in a horizontal screw loading position.

2. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said screw dispenser means comprising,

a screw ejection means for ejecting a limited number of screws from said bin,

a screw escapement means arranged to receive said ejected screws and to pass one screw at a time therethrough and,

a screw dispenser coupled to said escapement means for receiving said screws and inserting them in said withdrawn hinge.

3. A machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising a screwdriving assembly having a multiplicity of rotatable screw driving heads, and hinge conveyor means arranged to convey said hinge loaded with said screws from said screw loading position to said screwdriving assembly.

4. A machine as defined in claim 3, further comprising a screwdriver conveyor means arranged to move said screwdriving assembly to a hinge mounting position for mounting said hinge loaded with said screws on said door and said door jamb; and motor drive means arranged to turn all of said screw driving heads in the same direction simultaneously and thereby drive said screws carried by said screw loaded hinge into said door and said door jamb presented to said screw driving assembly at said hinge mounting position.

5. A machine as defined in claim 4 further comprising a pneumatic drive means arranged to drive said hinge withdrawing means, said screw dispenser means,

said hinge conveyor means, said screwdriver conveyor 6 arranged to actuate said solenoid switch means and said motor drive means in sequence so that one hinge at a time is automatically withdrawn from said stack in said magazine, one screw at a time is automatically deposited in a hinge at said hinge loading position, one hinge loaded with screws is automatically applied to said screwdriving assembly, said screwdriving assembly is automatically moved to said hinge mounting position, and a hinge loaded with screws is automatically mounted on said door and said jamb at said hinge mounting position.

6. A machine as defined in claim 3, wherein said hinges are made of a magnetic material, and wherein said screw driving heads have magnetized parts to retain a hinge loaded with screws on said screw driving assembly while said hinge conveyor means conveys said hinge loaded with said screws to said screw driving position.

7. A machine as defined in claim 2, wherein said screw ejection means comprises a vertically reciprocatable plate disposed in part in said bin, said plate having a slanted upper end with a T-shaped longitudinal groove therein to engage a quantity of said screws in said bin as said plate rises therein and to permit said engaged screws to slide down said plate to said screw escapement means.

8. A machine as defined in claim 2, wherein said screw escapement means comprises,

a vertically aligned upper and a lower tube, said upper tube being disposed at said bin to receive ejected screws therefrom and to support them in vertical axially aligned position,

a pair of horizontally slidable horizontal upper and lower escapement plates disposed between said upper and said lower tubes, and

means for reciprocating said escapement plates longitudinally and horizontally between said tubes, each of said escapement plates having a longitudinal slot terminating in an enlargement at one end thereof, whereby a first screw will drop from said upper tube into said slot of said upper escapement plate when said escapement plates are in a first horizontal position, and said first screw will drop into said slot in said lower escapement plate when said escapement plates are in a second horizontal position, and said first screw will drop into said lower tube while a second screw will drop into said slot in said upper plate when said escapement plates return to said first horizontal position.

9. A machine as defined in claim 2, wherein said screw dispenser comprises,

a rotatable drum having a circumferential zig-zag slot;

a vertically reciprocatable driver means having a pin engaged in said zig-zag slot so that said drum rotates in angular steps said driver means reciprocates;

a radially extending inclined passage in said drum communicating with said screw escapement means to receive one of said screws a time therefrom; and

a guide plate having circumferentiaily arranged bores communicating with said inclined passage at predetermined rotational positions thereof and opening above said screwholes in said hinge disposed under said guide plate at said screw loading position.

10. A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said hinge withdrawing means comprises a horizontally movable bar having pivotable first pawls arranged to engage the lowermost hinge in said magazine and to push the same out of said magazine to said screw loading position, and having second pawls arranged to en- 11. A machine as defined in claim 3 wherein said hinge conveyor means comprises a rotatable lifter plate disposed to receive said hinge, loaded with said screws and to lift the same to a vertical position juxtaposed to gage a hinge loaded with said screws and to push the 5 said screwdriving assembly.

same on to a hinge conveyor means. 

1. A machine for automatically installing hinges on a door and a door jamb comprising, a hopper for containing a stack of door hinges, each of said door hinges having a pair of hinged butt plates and having a plurality of spaced screw holes, means for withdrawing one hinge at a time from the bottom of said stack, a bin containing a quantity of screws, and a screw dispenser means arranged to receive a number of said screws from said bin corresponding to the number of said spaced screw holes in said hinge and insert one of said screws into each one of said spaced holes in one of said hinges withdrawn from said stack while said withdrawn hinge is in a horizontal screw loading position.
 2. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said screw dispenser means comprising, a screw ejection means for ejecting a limited number of screws from said bin, a screw escapement means arranged to receive said ejected screws and to pass one screw at a time therethrough and, a screw dispenser coupled to said escapement means for receiving said screws and inserting them in said withdrawn hinge.
 3. A machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising a screwdriving assembly having a multiplicity of rotatable screw driving heads, and hinge conveyor means arranged to convey said hinge loaded with said screws from said screw loading position to said screwdriving assembly.
 4. A machine as defined in claim 3, further comprising a screwdriver conveyor means arranged to move said screwdriving assembly to a hinge mounting position for mounting said hinge loaded with said screws on said door and said door jamb; and motor drive means arranged to turn all of said screw driving heads in the same direction simultaneously and thereby drive said screws carried by said screw loaded hinge into said door and said door jamb presented to said screw driving assembly at said hinge mounting position.
 5. A machine as defined in claim 4 further comprising a pneumatic drive means arranged to drive said hinge withdrawing means, said screw dispenser means, said hinge conveyor means, said screwdriver conveyor means and said motor drive means; a solenoid switch means arranged to control operation of said pneumatic drive means; and an electric circuit means operatively arranged to actuate said solenoid switch means and said motor drive means in sequence so that one hinge at a time is automatically withdrawn from said stack in said magazine, one screw at a time is automatically deposited in a hinge at said hinge loading position, one hinge loaded with screws is automatically applied to said screwdriving assembly, said screwdriving assembly is automatically moved to said hinge mounting position, and a hinge loaded with screws is automatically mounted on said door and said jamb at said hinge mounting position.
 6. A machine as defined in claim 3, wherein said hinges are made of a magnetic material, and wherein said screw driving heads have magnetized parts to retain a hinge loaded with screws on said screw driving assembly while said hinge conveyor means conveys said hinge loaded with said screws to said screw driving position.
 7. A machine as defined in claim 2, wherein said screw ejection means comprises a vertically reciprocatable plate disposed in part in said bin, said plate having a slanted upper end with a T-shaped longitudinal groove therein to engage a quantity of said screws in said bin as said plate rises therein and to permit said engaged screws to slide down said plate to said screw escapement means.
 8. A machine as defined in claim 2, wherein said screw escapement means comprises, a vertically aligned upper and a lower tube, said upper tube being disposed at said bin to receive ejected screws therefrom and to support them in vertical axially aligned position, a pair of horizontally slidable horizontal upper and lower escapement plates disposed between said upper and said lower tubes, and means for reciprocating said escapement plates longitudinally and horizontally between said tubes, each of said escapement plates having a longitudinal slot terminating in an enlargement at one end thereof, whereby a first screw will drop from said upper tube into said slot of said upper escapement plate when said escapement plates are in a first horizontal position, and said first screw will drop into said slot in said lower escapement plate when said escapement plates are in a second horizontal position, and said first screw will drop into said lower tube while a second screw will drop into said slot in said upper plate when said escapement plates return to said first horizontal position.
 9. A machine as defined in claim 2, wherein said screw dispenser comprises, a rotatable drum having a circumferential zig-zag slot; a vertically reciprocatable driver means having a pin engaged in said zig-zag slot so that said drum rotates in angular steps said driver means reciprocates; a radially extending inclined passage in said drum communicating with said screw escapement means to receive one of said screws a time therefrom; and a guide plate having circumferentially arranged bores communicating with said inclined passage at predetermined rotational positions thereof and opening above said screwholes in saiD hinge disposed under said guide plate at said screw loading position.
 10. A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said hinge withdrawing means comprises a horizontally movable bar having pivotable first pawls arranged to engage the lowermost hinge in said magazine and to push the same out of said magazine to said screw loading position, and having second pawls arranged to engage a hinge loaded with said screws and to push the same on to a hinge conveyor means.
 11. A machine as defined in claim 3 wherein said hinge conveyor means comprises a rotatable lifter plate disposed to receive said hinge, loaded with said screws and to lift the same to a vertical position juxtaposed to said screwdriving assembly. 